Hissing Catapillar
Location: Ft. Hood, TX
October 19, 2011 1:02 pm
This catapillar started hissing when my wife tried to move it away from her chair. What is it?
Signature: Brian
Walnut Sphinx Caterpillar
Hi Brian,
This is the caterpillar of one of the Sphinx Moths or Hawkmoths. The head and caudal horn are very distinctive in your individual, and we believe this may the the caterpillar of the Walnut Sphinx, Amorpha juglandis. There are photos on the Sphingidae of the Americas website that show the similarities and there are also some similar photos on BugGuide which notes: “larva may produce a whistle-like hiss when handled.” We will contact Bill Oehlke to see if he can confirm or correct.
Bill Oehkle responds
Yes it is Amorpha juglandis, the walnut sphinx.
Orb Weaver catches Caterpillar in her web and encases it in silk.
Location: Cheney Kansas
October 17, 2011 8:16 pm
I rescued this spider at work from being chopped up by my weed wacker. I took it home and set it free in the garden.
The next day I searched the garden to see if she would cast her web in my yard . I found her Web and she had already caught several moths and was in the process of taking care of a White Lined Sphinx Caterpillar.
I’ve included several photos and you can really see in detail how she uses her spinneret to encase her future meal.
Signature: Chris Harris
Banded Orbweaver
Hi Chris,
Thanks so much for sending us your wonderful photos of a Banded Orbweaver eating a White Lined Sphinx Caterpillar.
Banded Orbweaver eats White Lined Sphinx Caterpillar
We don’t believe caterpillars are a typical prey for Orbweavers that tend to snare flying or hopping insects.
Banded Orbweaver eats White Lined Sphinx
1
Weird caterpillar
Location: Midwest City, OK
October 15, 2011 1:27 pm
What the heck is this??
Signature: Elizabeth
Spiny Oak Slug Caterpillar
Hi Elizabeth,
This caterpillar is in the genus Euclea. We found a matching photo on BugGuide, and we believe there is a good chance it is the Spiny Oak Slug, Euclea delphinii, a species with a highly variable caterpillar. Exercise caution when handling the Spiny Oak Slug as well as other members of the family Limacodidae, as many species have stinging spines.
1
Maybe a caterpillar?
Location: Tallahassee, fl in the fall
October 13, 2011 12:03 pm
This bug has been crawling on my car for about 3 days. I tried to put it on a leaf and it got all puffed up and wouldn’t come off.
Signature: Jessica
Crowned Slug
Hi Jessica,
You are correct that this is a caterpillar. More specifically, it is a Crowned Slug, Isa textula, one of the stinging Slug Caterpillars in the family Limacodidae.
1
What’s Yellow and Furry and Just Plain Strange?
Location: Central America (Belize or Guatemala)
October 13, 2011 1:47 pm
My daughter and I saw this in Belize or Guatemala (can’t remember what part of the trip) and are stumped. Totally and completely.
Signature: Shoshana
Monkey Slug from Belize
Hi Shoshana,
This caterpillar looks so much like the stinging Monkey Slug from North America, Phobetron pithecium (see BugGuide), that we believe it is either the same species, a subspecies, or a closely related species in the same genus.
1
Caterpillar
Location: Southern California, Riverside
October 13, 2011 6:10 am
I shot this little guy Oct 08th 2011, in the San Bernadino Mts, Just west of Oak Glenn, at 4500 Ft altitude.
Signature: Rob Lusk
Spotted Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Hi Rob,
This is a Spotted Tussock Moth Caterpillar, Lophocampa maculata. Often a food plant can be used to identify a caterpillar or other insect. Your Spotted Tussock Moth Caterpillar appears to be feeding on blackberry or some other thorny shrub. According to BugGuide: “Larvae prefer leaves of poplar and willow, but also feed on alder, basswood, birch, maple, oak.” Since they are listed as preferences, it implies that other plants are not as preferred as food. BugGuide also has a nice example of regional caterpillar variations, and your individual most closely resembles the Rocky Mountain variation. Perhaps that is really a high altitude variation.
Daniel, Thank You for the Identification. The site is a fantastic resource, that I use frequently. I figured it was on the site somewhere, but I gave up too soon.
All the best,
Rob Lusk
1
weird one
Location: Baguio City, Philippines, Southeast Asia
October 12, 2011 1:33 am
Hi bugman. I live in the Philippines and I have encountered this alien-like insect with its upper body being an ant and the lower end is a caterpillar’s. It’s less than an inch long and I got it from a guava tree. Could you please identify this one?
Signature: Reply details through e-mail.
Lobster Caterpillar
The very distinctive Lobster Caterpillar, Stauropus fagi, is a morphologically unusual caterpillar that doesn’t resemble any other members of the Prominent Moth family. The species ranges across Eurasia from England to China. This is a young instar that will molt several times, growing after each molt, until it eventually pupates and emerges as an adult moth.
Lobster Caterpillar
Wow. Thanks a lot for the info, sir… I appreciate it.
1
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